


Intertwining Roots

by saturnite0614



Category: Original Work
Genre: Fairies, Lesbians, Modern Day, Multi, New Girl - Freeform, Oregon - Freeform, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Tags Are Hard, Tags Contain Spoilers, Tags May Change, There are so lesbians in this thing, This is an original story, fae, hyper, small school, small town
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-16
Updated: 2018-09-02
Packaged: 2019-06-28 12:04:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,182
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15706872
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/saturnite0614/pseuds/saturnite0614
Summary: Joan Reid lived and average life in an average town until her senior year of high school when everything she knew and loved was flipped upside down by one mysterious girl.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I tried my hand at another original story. The first one is on my Wattpad and it is a train wreck. I hope this one doesn't turn out to be the same. Oh and do I have some twists (that might not be twists to anyone who actually reads it because I'm too obvious).
> 
> Hope you enjoy. I don't know when the next chapter will be and I don't know when I will post the next chapter of A New Light either.

To some people, Oregon is just that state between Washington and California. It doesn’t have the cool conventions like PAX and it doesn’t have Disney World. Hell, it doesn’t even have the best weather, but to me, it’s home. I grew up in the small town known to Google Maps as Kilik County near the California and Oregon border. It snows in the winter and rains in the summer and nothing ever happens beside the occasional migration of convention goers. That was the case until August when a girl moved to town.

++++

* * *

My alarm clock blared a song I couldn’t make out. I had set it my freshman year of high school and my mind stopped focusing on the actual words and more on the meaning behind them. That meaning being,  _wake the fuck up._ I slipped my hand out from under my warm covers, the only protection against the cold of the broken air conditioning. The alarm stopped and the only sound that filled the room was the whirring in the vents. I counted on my fingers,  _one...two.._ _th_ _-_

“Joan! If you don’t get up now you’ll miss your ride!” My father’s voice made it up two flights of stairs and my closed door. We don’t have a three-story house but I begged my dad to let me have the attic as a room and we set it up my first year of middle school. 

I slid out from under my blanket and stretched, cringing as my joints cracked and my feet touched the cold floor. It was the first day of school, but it wasn’t. I knew everybody and every teacher and everybody knew me. This being said, it isn’t important to dress to impress so I reached my hand under my bed, searching for a pair of jeans that I know are under there. My fingers curled around the worn denim and I slipped them on. 

My room is small with my bed being against the one wall with a window and a chest-of-drawers on the one with the door. If I stood in the middle, I could touch the bed frame and the chest-of-drawers if I leaned slightly to one side or the other. 

The stairs creaked as I slipped down into the kitchen where my dad sat at the table with two plates of pancakes. He slid one over to me as I sat down.

“Ready for your first day of senior year?” He said, scribbling some numbers in his sudoku puzzles. I understood the rules of sudoku but I never finished a game in my life, I could never focus. Dad said I got that from my mother. There are pictures in my Dad’s office of the two of them together. She was really thin but muscular at the same time if that makes any sense. She also loved the outdoors, according to the only person who ever met her.

“Uh...yeah. I guess I am.”

My dad cocked an eyebrow and looked up from his puzzle book, “You okay kiddo?”

I nodded, “Yeah, just...” I didn’t know how I felt, so I lied, “Nervous. Senior year is a big deal.”

He smiled, “Yeah it is,” He went back to his puzzles and I went back to my pancakes. I only managed to shovel a few bites down before a car horn sounded from the curb. My dad nodded to my still full plate and to the door. I grabbed my bag and slung it over my shoulder.

My hand settled on the door knob before I turned around, “I love you.”

I left before I heard his answer.

++++

* * *

 

My dad and I love each other, don’t get me wrong. Our situation is just tense compared to other families. He met my mom his senior year of high school and ten months after he graduated I showed up at his doorstep. He didn’t even know she was pregnant even though they always saw each other and he never saw her again. She left a note that I read over and over again when I was 10. I won’t go into the sad details but it basically said,  _Henry...I love you and our daughter but we can’t be together. It was a mistake to even fall in love. I wish I could explain but our two lives are just too different. I called her Joan, but_ _you_ _don’t have to..._  It sounded like generic bullshit to me and a poor excuse to abandon your daughter and boyfriend. Especially since he had to raise me while going through collage.

++++

* * *

Emily continued to press down on the car horn as I slid into the front seat, smiling while doing it. Her car was pretty average, average price, four door, all that but for some reason it always smelled like those apple candles you can get around Halloween.

“Man, I thought you’d never come out!” She said excitedly and nudged me with her elbow like it was some kind of joke. I stared at her blankly,

“Just drive.”

Emily continued to giggle as she shifted the car into drive, “Get it, cause you’re a-”

“I get it Em,” I suppressed a chuckle, “But I don’t want to be late.”

“We won’t” she assured me, “By the way, did you hear?”

I hear a lot of things on a daily basis so I had no idea was Emily was referring to. We met during 7th grade when Emily’s family, the Johns, moved in down the street from up the street. It was weird because her family used to live next to the school so she and her brother always walked to school while my dad drove me. Then because of a plumbing or land issue, they moved farther from the school and down the street. Funny how people meet their best friends.

“What is it that I’m supposed to know exactly?”

Emily looked at me from her prereferral vision, “Okay, so Jenna told Anna that Kyle saw a moving truck outside of that house in the woods when he was riding his bike. He stopped and saw some of the items in the truck-”

“Can you just get on with it please?”

She huffed, “Okay, so Anna said that Kyle said that he saw clothes that totally looked like they belonged to a girl.”

“So, a new girl?”

“Yeah,” Emily said, like she totally didn’t add unnecessary details.

I picked at some fuzz on my jeans, “Why didn’t you just say that? You know what? Never mind.”

The rest of the ride was filled with Emily absent-mindedly talking about her summer and how she and Mitchell, her long-term boyfriend, went to California and spent most of summer at Disney World. We passed old houses with peeling paint and roofs missing shingles, we passed the police station with one lonely squad car in the lot, we passed the gas station that doubled as a grocery store if you didn’t want to drive an hour for actual groceries, and we passed the only restaurant in town, Cheyenne Family Diner. In front of it was Mitchell’s truck and him and his friends were hanging out next to it. Emily pulled into the empty spot next to it.

“Really,” I said, “You know we’re going to be late, right?” Emily got out of the car, completely missing what I was saying. She bounded over and practically leaped at Mitchell. Without missing a beat, he caught her in her arms and swung her around before planting a kiss on her forehead. Mitchell’s sister, Mary, glared at me before she went back to her phone. Some of the other guys I recognized from the basketball team but we weren’t close friends.

“Hey Joan! Long time no see!” Mitchell let go of Emily and gave me a hug. He was a head taller than me but lots of people said we looked alike, thin, light brown hair, and grey eyes. Teachers used to think we were related. It didn’t help that we were practically connected at the hip, even after him and Emily started dating.

“It’s great to see you, too!” We split and I looked him up and down, “Your vacation pictures made you seem tan, what happened?”

“That’s hurts, I’d like to think I look like a goddess, thank you.” He feigned hurt and put his arm around Emily, “Mean comments aside, how have you been? Every text I got was like a one-word answer.”

I put my hands in my jeans, “Same old, same old, I took a lot of photos, mainly of trees.”

Emily squeezed Mitchell, “Someday we need to take you to California, you’d love the views there.”

“Yeah, the sun set makes everything this orange-pink color.”

Mary made a show of putting her phone back in her pocket, “We should go if we don’t want a private meeting with Miss Evers,” She pushed past me to get into Mitchell’s truck. Mitchell sighed and mouthed,  _sorry,_ in my direction before hopping into his truck as well.

Emily linked her arm in mine during the walk to her car, “What’s Mary’s problem?”

“I have no idea.”

++++

* * *

I had first hour study hall with four other people which says a lot about our school. They were mainly freshmen and sophomores that I’d seen around town and at Cheyenne’s. The freshmen scrambled to finish summer reading and the sophomores were on their phones. Our teacher, Mr. German, was also on his phone, gossiping away or whatever teachers talked about. I on the other hand, being a senior, sat there and scribbled in a notebook. Mainly trees and plants because they are easy to doodle for an hour straight.

The class was quiet for 30 minutes until a girl walked through the door.

“Sorry!” She handed a paper to Mr. German, “They had my schedule messed up so I didn’t even have a class this hour.” Her appearance was very exotic despite having a clearly American accent. Short dark brown hair framed light brown skin. Her eyes were what caught my attention, they were a bright yellow-green and surprisingly round. She also seemed really hyper because she bounded over and sat down in the desk next to me. 

“Hi.” She whispered. She had a strange green mark on her hand, it looked like a tattoo of a tree branch, I noticed it when she extended her hand out.

I took it, continuing stare at both her eyes and tattoo, “Hi.” She squeezed my hand and we sat there awkwardly holding hands until I pulled my hand from her grip. The other students kept glancing at her weirdly.

“I’m Ainsley.” She whispered again.

“Joan.”

“I know you!” She whispered-yelled. Mr. German looked up from his phone and made a shushing motion. Ainsley ducked her head and mouthed and apology, “Anyway, I’ve seen your pictures. The ones on Tumblr.”

I felt a blush creep across my face. The only people I knew who ever looked at my photography were my dad, Mitchell, and Emily. Now here was a stranger that followed me on Tumblr showing up in my real life. “That’s cool.”

“I think it’s really cool how you put so much focus on the roots of trees. So many people ignore the roots but they’re really important.” She smiled and traced the pattern on her hand that wrapped around her wrist.

“Yeah, but I mostly focus on them because they make cool patterns.” I felt weird to actually discuss photography with someone, it made me wonder, “Do you like photography?”

Ainsley brushed a strand of hair out of her face, “No. I mean yes, I like photography but I don’t take photos. I’m more of a painter. At my old school I used to paint outside a lot.” She dug a piece of paper out of her pocket and scribbled something on it, “This is my number and address. Maybe we can hang out and take pictures.”

I took the paper and slipped it into my pocket, “Maybe. That’d be fun.”

Ainsley opened her mouth to speak but the bell rang, “I’ll see you around, yeah?” She left before I could answer. I stood to leave as well when I noticed something curling up the side of her chair.

It was a flower.

++++

* * *

 

I didn't have any other classes with Ainsley but I thought about her in every class. I know a plant hadn’t been in the room before and there was no way it could have grown in under an hour. 

Emily dropped her tray next to mine at our lunch table that we shared with Mitchell and sometimes the guys, “Have you met the new girl?”

Mitchell took a sip of his milk, “I have her in PE. Her throwing arm is weirdly strong, kind of like yours Joan.” He picked apart his cookie, “The guys think she’s weird so they’ve labeled her a 5 at best.”

Emily reached across the table and slapped him on the arm.

“Hey! I didn’t say she was a five just because she’s stronger than us. Personally, I would say that brings up her score, I like strong women.” He winked at Emily and she threw a carrot at him playfully.

“I have her in study hall. She seems kind of...” I let my words trail off because I didn’t know how to describe her.

“Hyper?” Emily interjected.

Mitchell took another bite of cookie, “Again, like you Joan.”

“I’m not hyper! I just can’t focus well. There is a difference.” I said.

Emily laughed, “Yeah, at school. Remember that one time-” Her words were interrupted with her own laughter.

Mitchell joined her, “Freshmen year! I do!”

I remembered it. Anna Greenaway had a party where someone spiked the punch because freshmen kind of think they’re the shit. I had like to glasses and because I’m a lightweight, I couldn’t stop laughing. If anyone said a word with the letter a in it, I would lose it. People would sneak up behind me and whispered shit like apple and appreciate and watch me giggle. Let’s just say I never touched booze at a party again.

“Yeah,” I chuckled, “You guys need a new go to story.” 

I debated telling them how exactly where Ainsley was sitting in study hall a plant just appeared out of nowhere because they’d probably say I was going crazy, but I know what I saw.

Emily nudged me with her elbow, “Hey, did you hear me?”

“What?”

Emily bit dramatically into one of her carrots, “I said, what are you doing afterschool?”

“I have basketball callouts for the freshmen if you two want to sit in.” Mitchell crumpled up his milk carton. 

“Heck yeah, I’ll go. I love seeing the kids’ faces when you score an impossible shot.” I said, but really, I just needed normal because my brain was short-circuiting over the stupidest thing and that thing was Ainsley.

++++

* * *

 

I scribbled on my chucks while Mitchell and Emily taught the basketball players trick shots. I had my earbuds in until two hands pulled them out. 

Ainsley smiled brightly at me, “Hi, again.”

I had the cap to my pen in my mouth so I just stared at her dumbly.

“Did you forget me already?” She chuckled and sat down. Her jeans were covered in what looked like clay and paint, her hands were just as messy.

I spat out the cap and put it on my pen before shoving it behind my ear, “Yeah I remember you Ainsley ‘No Last Name Given.”

She grabbed the pen and scribbled a picture of her own on my chucks, “Lockely. Ainsley Lockely.” I looked at what she had drew. It was the same branch design on her hand and wrist, “And I don’t remember you ever giving me your last name, Miss Joan.”

“Reid. R-E-I-D.” For some reason I felt the need to spell it out. 

She grabbed my hand and started tracing invisible lines on and around my wrist, “So what are you doing watching a basketball practice?”

I pointed to Mitchell and Emily with my right hand, “My friends are holding tryouts.”

Ainsley squinted at the two, “Is that one kid your brother?”

“Who? Mitchell? No. He’s a Boarder.” The Boarders were a sob story turned happy. Mitchell’s father had to raise Mitchell alone until he got married when Mitchell was seven and that’s when they had Mary. It’s the part of the reason we got along, we both knew what it was like to not have a mother.

Ainsley looked back at me and then back at Mitchell with the same scrunched up expression. She continued to trace the branches on my hand. Each stroke had purpose, and with each stroke I felt this shock, like electricity and heat. She started humming and I closed my eyes letting the sound and feeling was over me it. It brought images of trees and birds and the sound of the basketballs disappeared.

_A girl with long silver hair ran through a wooden path covered with a canopy of trees that dropped leaves despite the heat saying it was summer. She looked right at me with bright grey eyes, they were almost white. She giggled and made a shushing motion. She looked familiar but I couldn’t place her. A hot pain shot up my arm an-_

And I pulled my hand away from Ainsley. She jumped like a startled deer, “Are you okay?”

“I...” I held my hand in my lap, “Yeah, I’m fine. What...what were you humming?”

She smiled again, “It was something my dad would hum to me,” Ainsley looked down at her tattoo, “He’d trace patterns on my hand whenever I was sad and would hum. He said my mother used to do it all the time.” Her eyes took on a strange melancholy that didn’t quite match her smile. 

Mitchell whistled and waved. I hadn’t realized practice had ended. Ainsley made that weird face at him again, like she couldn’t figure him out. “You should go. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

She grabbed her bag and sprinted off. Emily was hollering at me so I did the same. The two met me at the bottom of the bleachers.

“I am so pumped up, I could run a marathon right now.” Emily said. Her blonde hair stuck to the side of her face with sweat. Mitchell wrapped his arms around our shoulders and walked us to our car.

“What did you think of the new recruits, boss?” I asked because I had actually zoned out because of Ainsley.

“They were okay,” he shrugged, “What I’m actually interested in his what you and new girl were talking about? You looked blissed out and your face was red.”

Was I seriously blushing that entire time, “Nothing really.”

That answer obviously didn’t satisfy the two of them but they didn’t push it.

We reached Emily’s car and Mitchell kissed her. I made a fake gagging noise and Emily pushed my shoulder without breaking the kiss.

“I can pick you guys up tomorrow if you want.” 

Emily dug through her bag for her keys, “Are you sure?”

He nuzzled his face into her chin, “Of course. Anything for my two favorite girls.”

She pushed him playfully and slid into the driver’s seat and I slid into the passenger seat. I reached for the A/C when Emily’s hand shot out and grabbed my wrist.

“What’s on your hand?” She rotated it so we could both get a better look. It was brown, like a henna tattoo. Lines traced their way from the back of my hand and around my wrist. They curled and broke off by themselves. They stopped on the back of my hand and branched out. Each line was covered in leaves.

It was a tree like the one Ainsley had on her hand...

And it definitely wasn’t there before.

 ++++


	2. Chapter 2

“Did you draw that?” Emily asked, observing the new tattoo on my hand. I stared dumbly at it, “It looks like a henna tat. Did you get one over the summer?” She looked at me, no doubt seeing the color leak from my face, “Jo?”

She let go of my hand and I shoved it under my thigh, “Uh...Ainsley...Ainsley drew it.”

Emily didn’t look convinced but didn’t push it, “Ainsley seems to like you.” She looked forward and kept her eyes pointed at the road, but I caught her glancing at me in her peripheral vision and I pretended not to notice. Hesitantly, Emily started talking about everything and nothing at all. Mainly about how Mitchell is throwing a Halloween Party in October and pretty much every senior is invited. I tuned her out. I had too much on my mind all of a sudden. All of which concerned Ainsley, a mysterious new girl. 

She wasn’t that mysterious to someone who hadn’t seen what I’ve seen. First and foremost, the flower. I should have taken a picture to prove to myself I didn’t imagine it, but I know for certain that it wasn’t there when I sat down at 8 that morning. Yet, it was there when she got up from her seat. I had no explanation for how a plant, even that small, could grow in a classroom with no windows. Ainsley’s tattoo was weird too because I had one now. I pulled my hand out from under my thigh and stared at the branches. 

I was a pretty pale person, it comes from living in the northwest all your life and genetics, so the design with dark in contrast despite it only being a mild brown color. I could describe it as a light brown, like tan lines and my hair. It started at my wrist and curled up my left hand before stopping halfway up and branching out, spreading across the back of my hand. Roots wrapped around my wrist like a bracelet of nature. I kept twisting my hand side to side to take in every detail and to convince myself it was really there. 

Emily slapped my shoulder, “Earth to Jo!” 

I pulled my eyes away from my hand and towards Emily, “What?”

“You’re home.” She pointed out the window towards my two-story house with brown siding and matching porch. The lights were off and my dad’s car was gone, he must have been at work.

My bag felt as heavy as my thoughts as I swung it over my shoulder. As I went to close the door, Emily caught it, “Are you going to be okay? You look like you’re going to be sick.”

“I’m going to be fine,” I smiled, “Besides, aren’t you taking Jack to the park?”

“Only if he did his homework.” Emily smiled and closed the door. I saw her wave at me as she pulled away from the curb.

I stayed on the sidewalk even after Emily’s car disappeared around the corner, my empty bag getting heavier with every second. Finally, I walked up the steps to my porch where two planters sat dejected and empty. I only stepped one foot inside the door when I noticed something odd. I stepped back out and knelt down to the planters. Right there in the wet dirt was a small plant, about two inches in height and a purple bud on the end. I reached out my left hand and tapped the bud. The petals unfurled slowly as it I had woken it up from a nap. My hand jerked back of its own accord and the rest of the petals finished waking up.

Three weird things happening in one day was enough for me. I pushed open the door again, my eyes stilled trained on the purple flower.

++++

* * *

 

The house smelled like rainwater, which was weird because it never smelled like rainwater, only wood smoke. A large thud echoed through the empty house as I dropped my bag on the ground. The door opened into living room which connected directly with the kitchen through an archway. The arch between the kitchen and living room always fascinated me. Dad told me mom installed it herself, said the place needed something new. His parents were never happy about that. The arch was a deep brown and was cool to the touch no matter how hot it got during the summer. It was simple and curved at the corners and at the top was some carvings. My fingers idlily traced the familiar designs as I stood on my top-toes. I could never tell what they were, I still can’t in fact but I always take comfort in knowing they’re there. I could use that comfort now.

My hand left the frame and I walked into the dark kitchen. Dim light filtered through the window above the sink. I pulled open the curtain and watched as a car passed our driveway. It looked like Mrs. Greenaway’s van from the family stickers on the back. I sighed and dropped the curtain. I needed some water. I busied myself with filling a glass and downing it like a drink you’d get at a bar. My body screamed at me for not paying attention to it. 

A loud thud sounded throughout the house. My fingers loosened and the glass shattered into hundreds of pieces in the sink. The sound came from the back of the house. I stood frozen at the sink, waiting for whatever caused the sound to come in. A squeaking noise pulled my eyes from the hallway and over to the door.

“Joan?” My dad stepped into the house and peered at me through the arch. His eyes flicked over to the shattered glass and then back to my terrified expression. He dropped the box he was carrying and ran over to me. His hands enveloped mine as he looked them over for cuts, “Are you okay?”

I pointed down the hall and to the backdoor, “There’s something back there.”

He followed my shaky hand and disappeared down the hall. I stood, waiting for him to come back. He did after a few moments,

“The wind knocked over the trashcans, Joan,” He walked over the sink and started picking up the larger shards of glass, “You’re never this jumpy, are you feeling well?” 

My eyes shifted over to the shattered glass, “Yeah...I guess I just had a weird day.”

His gaze searched my face, “Maybe you should take a shower, go to bed. You’ll feel better in the morning. I’ll clean this up.”

“Thanks.” I started to climb up the stairs before my dad’s voice stopped me,

 “I love you, sweetie.”

“I love you too.”

I finished my climb up the stairs and disappeared into the bathroom. It was small compared to the size of the house which was nice. I’ve never been a fan of large bathrooms, so much wasted space. I left the warm water run down my back as I sat in the tub, the shower acting like a warm rain. I rested my chin on my knees as I stared at the water swirling down the drain. I was glad the day was finally ending because that meant I could stop thinking about it. My eyes drifted closed to the sound of the shower.

A loud banging woke me from my catnap, “Joan! You’re going to use all the hot water.”

I shook myself out of my trance and forced myself into the cold of the house in just a towel. The lights were off downstairs and the light from my dad’s room was still on. Music drifted from the door. Nature type, the only thing my dad listened to these days. A shiver ran down my spine and I made my way to my bedroom and warm bed. 

++++

* * *

 

Music picked at the edges of my sleep. It came from my nightstand but I couldn’t place it until a certain phrase entered my conscious-

 _GOD IS_ _aAA_ _MaAaAnNnN_  

 I shot up in my bed and saw my phone vibrating away on my nightstand. Pale sunlight shone down on my blankets turned the deep purple almost pink. I heard my dad making noise in the kitchen as he packed his lunch and made breakfast. 

Conversation could be heard as I slipped down the stairs. From the bottom step I saw two people sitting at the dinner table eating what looked like eggs.

“Mitchell?” Emily and Mitchell turned to my voice.

Mitchell set down his fork as Emily continued to eat, “Did you forget I was picking you guys up?”

My dad sat down with his own plate and my plate. I slipped into my seat at the chipped table. 

“I showed up early because I didn’t know when you got up and I get free breakfast now.” He piled some scrambled eggs into his mouth. 

I followed suit, “Why don’t you eat at home?”

He shrugged his shoulders, “Mom doesn’t believe in breakfast. She’s thinks eating first thing in the morning makes you fat.”

“Well,” My dad cleared his throat, “You two are welcome to eat here anytime.”

And they did. The next two weeks were spent like that. Nothing noticeably weird. Though I did catch Ainsley staring at me and Mitchell a couple of times with that scrunched up confused look on her face. I was starting to think that I had made things weird. Ainsley could have easily used a sharpie and drawn on my hand even though the tree was still there.

Friday night was when Ainsley became a big deal. Mitchell, Emily, and I were sitting at our usual lunch table when Ainsley dropped her tray next to mine. She looked nervous.

“Which one of you can drive?” Her voice came out as a whisper, like she was sick or winded.

All three of us raised our hands. She jumped a bit, “Which one of you has a car?”

I lowered my hand and she bit her lip, “Can one of you drive me somewhere?”

Mitchell and Emily put their hands down. Mitchell pushed around the noodles in his soup, “I can today. Where do you want to go?”

Ainsley calmed down a bit like not having a ride was the biggest problem in the world, “I was wondering if we,” she motioned to Mitchell and I, “Could go to the woods.”

“Why us?” I pulled the wrapper off of my cookie.

Her face tinged red a bit, “Well... _Mitchellcausehecandriveandyoubecuaseiwanttohangout_ _.”_

She said it in one long sentence and didn’t stop for breath once and yes, she was blushing. A smiled tugged at the edge of my lips, “What was that?”

Ainsley looked down and messed with her fingers, “Mitchell because he can drive and you...because I want to hang out.”

Emily’s jaw dropped and she looked at me, “Did she...did you?”

I finished her sentence, “Are you asking me out?” The red around her cheeks spread to the rest of her dark skin.

She didn’t have to say anything because her face said it all. Mitchell let out a low chuckle, “Yes, I’ll drive you. Where exactly would I drop you off?”

Ainsley’s blush was still as fiery but she managed to re-enter the conversation, “Next to Cheyenne Diner is a gap in the trees that leads to a pond.”

“Really?” Emily sipped from her milk, “I never knew that.”

“Yeah, um. I saw it last weekend when I went for some ice cream.”

“I’m down, Ainsley.” I smiled at her and she smiled back. The bell rang signaling the end of lunch and our conversation.

++++

* * *

 

I stood outside the front of the school waiting for Mitchell and Ainsley. Mary pushed past me and headed towards a car in the parking lot.

“Hey!” I waved her back over to me. She rolled her eyes but came back, “Do you know where Mitchell is?”

Mary glared at me as best as she could under her choppy bangs, “You know Mitchell is dating Emily, right?”

I dropped my hand, “What?”

“I said back off. Mitchell loves Emily.”

“I’m sorry? Did I say otherwise?” I was seriously confused.

Mary pushed me a bit, “I see how you hang off of him and follow the two of them around. You’re just waiting for the right moment.”

I should have been at least a little angry that Mary thought I was trying to split up her brother and Emily but all I could do was laugh. I think I cried a little.

“Do you think that’s funny?” Her voice had a dangerous edge to it.

“Mary,” I put my hand on her shoulder and bent down so we were eye-level, “I’m a lesbian.”

I felt a hand clamp down on my shoulder and Mitchell’s voice drifted into the conversation, “I thought you were American?”

We both removed our hands and placed them by our sides. Mary looked like she was about to explode from embarrassment.

“Wait? Is this why you’ve been pissed at me?” I brought the conversation away from vines and towards the issue, “Did you think I wanted to date Mitchell?”

Mary cast her eyes down and dug her sneaker into the pavement, “Maybe.”

I looked at Mitchell whose lips curved into a small smile, “Look, Mitchell is like my brother. Even if I was straight I wouldn’t try to ruin his relationships.”

Mitchell crossed his arms and nodded towards the car Mary was walking to, “You should go. Don’t want to be late for book club.” He was still smiling. She just nodded and jogged over to her friends.

I turned to him, “Nice save.”

“Vines for days.”

“Sorry! Oh my god, I’m so sorry!” Mitchell turned around and we both saw Ainsley sprinting towards us, clay caking her arms up to her elbows, “I’m so sorry. I was helping Ms. Kyle clean up the pottery wheels and one went wonky.”

Mitchell grabbed his keys from his bag, “We can tell. You’re not getting in the car like that.”

“What does that mean?” Ainsley looked crestfallen.

“You can ride in the bed.”

“What?”

I shifted my backpack, “His truck bed. Mitchell drives a truck.”

“Oh...Should we go then?”

She smiled, “Do you have your camera?” 

I didn’t, I never bring it to school because it would just sit in my locker unused and then I would forget it. That’s what happened my first week of freshman year. I hadn’t said anything but my face must have told her my answer.

“Is it okay if we stop by your house? I think you’d love some of the scenes.” Mitchell helped Ainsley into the bed of the truck, without thinking I climbed in with her.

Mitchell tossed his bag in with us, “Open the window in the back so we can still chat. And yes, I can stop by Jo’s house.”

Ainsley cradled her bag between her legs, “Jo?”

“It’s my nickname.”

“Oh, can I call you Jo?”

Mitchell slammed the tailgate closed but I saw his smirk.

“Yeah, that’s cool.” I fished my phone out of my bag. A message from my dad was the only thing present.

_Sudden Business trip, you’ll be on your own till Tuesday. You can have friends over, be safe, eat leftovers, love u_

Ainsley leaned over to see my phone screen, “Wow. My dad wouldn’t leave me alone for one day let alone four.”

“Yeah, well, my dad’s business is pretty finicky when it comes to scheduling so stuff like this happens.”

I expected her to continue the conversation as we drove to my house but she remained silent as she picked at the drying clay. So, I just tuned out the drive with my headphones.  Some punk rock song was playing but I don’t feel like focusing on the words just the feeling. Houses of varying shades of brown and blue passed by at a moderate pace. Trees swayed back and forth in the cool August wind and windchimes from different porches chimed different notes. Mitchell’s truck slowed before turning onto what I assumed was my street. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Ainsley close the back window.

“What are doing?”

Ainsley’s hand lingered on the window and I couldn’t help but stare at the green swirls on her hand. She took in a deep breath and let it out slowly, “What’s Mitchell like?”

I pulled both my headphones out, “Why don’t you ask him?”

“Because I want to hear it from you.” Her posture projected an aura of seriousness that was normal absent.

“I don’t know, like me I guess? He sticks up for the little guys, he can’t focus that well, especially inside. Mitchell’s a nice guy, trust me.” I was about to put my headphones in again when Ainsley blurted out,

“Does he like plants? Animals? Nature, anything like that?” Seemed like an odd question.

“Yeah...I mean, he’s had the same batch of forget-me-knots since sixth grade and we would hang out in his backyard digging through dirt and climbing trees.” Which is true. I never got around to buying a house plant but Mitchell raised those forget-me-knots like his children and they grew no matter the temperature of the house.

Ainsley bit her bottom lip and nodded. Then the truck stopped and Mitchell’s muffled voice came through the window, “Get out and get what you need.”

I opened the window and I saw Mitchell’s gray eyes reflected in the rear-view mirror, “You two should come in, I have to actually find my camera.”

All three of us hopped out of the truck and Mitchell and Ainsley followed me up the porch. My eyes drifted from the door to the planter as I searched my bag for my house keys. Right next to the purple flower was two others, one white and slightly larger and one pink and similar to size to the purple one. They weren’t there this morning.

Ainsley’s hand settled on my shoulder and I realized I hadn’t moved, “Are you okay?”

Mitchell followed my eyes to the three flowers on the planter and his eyes said it all, they weren’t there when he picked me up. I caught his gaze.

“Yeah, I’m good.” I turned to the door and unlocked it. I walked in and went straight up the stairs. I heard Ainsley talking to herself in the kitchen and I heard Mitchell’s steps behind me. As soon as the door closed behind him I turned around.

“You saw that right?”

He ran his fingers through his short hair, “Yeah.”

I dumped my bag on the floor, “Weird shit like that has been happening to me recently.”

Mitchell sat down on the bed, “What do you mean?”

“I mean plants showing up in random fucking places! Like, a flower is curling around the leg of a desk in the study hall room, and one time when I was brushing my teeth a plant grew through the drain! I watched it Mitchell!” I was whispered yelling.

“Seriously?” His face held genuine curiosity.

“Yeah! And this,” I held up my left hand and his eyes followed the designs, “This showed up after Ainsley held my hand!”

“Wait, you two were holding hands?”

“Not the point Mitchell!”

“Yeah sorry,” he stood and grabbed my hand to get a better look at the designs, “Doesn’t Ainsley have one like this?”

I nodded and he dropped my hand. He paced before stopping in the middle of the room and he turned to me, “What don’t you ask her?”

“Are you serious?”

“Yes!”

Knocking reverberated around the room, “Did you find it or do you two need help?”

Ainsley was standing outside the door waiting for us. I looked around the room and saw my camera bag sitting on the dresser. As I grabbed it, I said to Mitchell, “I’m not asking because that’s weird.”

I pulled open the door and Ainsley was looking at a picture on the wall. At the sound of the door she turned to the two of us, “You ready to go?”

I looked back at Mitchell before answering, “Yeah.”

++++

* * *

 

Ainsley talked the entire way to Cheyenne’s but I sat silent, occasionally rubbing the swirls on my hands. This pond supposedly had small fish living in it with flowers all around it. To her, it seemed magical. I pictured it in my head and it seemed like something you’d find in a fairy tale, not in Oregon. The trucked bumped along the road that desperately needed repaved and Mitchell sat silent in the front seat, eyes focusing on the road. 

I could smell the diner before we even pulled in. After school it usually smelled like burgers and fries as hungry students ordered and early dinner or late lunch. You couldn’t hear anything but you could see everything through the large windows. I looked around the building to see if I could spot the hole in the trees but I couldn’t.

Ainsley tapped my shoulder and hopped out of the truck. Slowly, I followed her. When I jumped out of the back, my eyes landed on Emily. She was standing by her car, arms crossed and a lazy smile on her lips. Mitchell was the first to approach her and Ainsley and I followed.

“Hey stranger,” Emily put on a cheesy southern accent, “Mind helpin a poor girl like me?”

“I reckin I could.” Mitchell bowed.

“What’re you doing here?” I asked.

Emily shrugged her shoulders, “Jack’s at a friend’s house for the weekend so I have nothing to do. Can’t a girl hang out with her friends?”

I looked over to Ainsley, waiting for her answer. She looked slightly conflicted before nodding a bit.

Emily beamed, “Well, let’s get to it!”

“It’s uh...it’s this way.” Ainsley pointed to the side of the building and started walking. The three of us has to jog to catch up to her. We followed her as she went behind the building and I saw the hole she was talking about. You could fit if you ducked and it was dark.

“Come on.” Ainsley’s nervousness dissipated with the presence of trees and darkness. Emily followed behind her and after her was Mitchell. I stood behind before forcing myself through the branches.

I could barely see Mitchell in front of me but I could hear all three of them breaking branches beneath their feet. Small animals scurried away from the loud noises and bugs perched on their leaves staring us down. The tunnel stayed small for about 10 feet before it opened out into a type of clearing. When I stepped out of the tunnel I saw Emily’s jaw slacken in awe. Trees formed a circle and despite there being none in the center, leaves and branches wound themselves together to form a canopy that kept a majority of the sunlight out. Despite this fact, flowers grew in abundance and were of a multitude of vivid colors. The small amount of sunlight that made its way through the leaves reflected off of a small but deep pond full of clear blue water. Bright fish swam in circles and chased each other. Occasionally, there would be a splash of water when one’s tail hit the water.

Mitchell stepped up to the pond and knelt down, hesitantly he put his hand in the water. Instead of swimming away, the fish swam up to him and butted at his fingers. A small smile spread across his features as fish swam in and out of his fingers. Emily knelt next to him and put her fingers in the water. Instantly the fish swam away. The look on her face was hilarious.

“This place is amazing!” Mitchell exclaimed as he stood and wiped his hand on his pants. 

Emily pulled his attention back to the pond and Ainsley linked her arm with mine. I felt her breath on my ear as she whispered, “I want to show you something.”

Without me telling it to, my face flushed red. Ainsley started pulling on my arm to a thin break in the trees. I followed her as she pulled me through a thinner series of trees. They opened into a smaller clearing that was open to the sky. Birds flew overhead and their calls echoed throughout the forest. The sky looked bluer in this section than it did at the diner. 

“Isn’t this beautiful?” I turned to Ainsley as she spoke. Her face was turned up to the sky as she observed the plethora of birds flying back and forth. 

I couldn’t pull my eyes away from her face. The sunlight turned her greens eyes into gemstones and lit up her dark skin. She looked like a healthy tree thriving in the sunlight and nature. 

She looked back at me with the largest smile, as if she wasn’t meant to live in a world of technology or buildings, but flowers and animals. I was smiling with her and we were just smiling at each other as birds called out in all pitches. 

A large crash followed by breaking branches broke the moment. Off to our right leaves rustled and animals scurried out of the bushes. Ominous silence filled the clearing.

“What was that?”

Ainsley shuffled over to the edge of the clearing, “I think it was a bird.”

“A bird? Yeah, a very large and angry one.”

She just pushed her way into the bushes and I followed despite thinking that we might get eaten by a bear or something.

Ainsley pushed branches and leaves out of her face the swung back into mine.

Due to the aforementioned branches in my face, I didn’t see when Ainsley stopped and knelt down into the dirt. My shins collided with her back and I fell forward. She turned and caught me in her arms. Basically, she was cradling me in her arms. I scrambled backwards and landed in the dirt. A smile tugged at the edges of Ainsley’s lips before she turned her back to me.

I crawled around to her side to see what she was looking at. In the dirt covered in scratches was a beautiful red cardinal. From the looks of it, it wasn’t alive. There wasn’t any twitching or noises coming from it.

Ainsley reached her hands out and scooped the bird up.

“We can bury it somewhere, if you want.” I put my hand on her shoulder.

She squeezed her eyes shut like she was concentrating on not crying but instead of tears or a shaky breath, she started whispering words that I partly understood.

_stuur_ _hierdie_ _helende_ _wit_ _lig_ _van_ _bo_ _af_ _en_ _omring_ _my_ _vriend_ _in_ _genesende_ _liefde_

_Send this this healing white light from above and surround my friend in healing love_

It sounded really cheesy and I beginning to question Ainsley’s sanity until something caught my eye. The marks on her hand started to glow softly and the cardinal started to twitch. After a minute, the bird stood in her palms and shook out it’s perfectly bright feathers. It focused its brown eyes at Ainsley and let out a small chirp. It flapped its wings and flew up into the sky. Ainsley's eyes followed it up until disappeared into the leaves.

“What the  _fuck_!” 

My voice pulled Ainsley from her own world and she jumped away from me.

“What just happened? The bird was dead and...and now it’s not.” I grabbed my hair and sat down.

Two dark hands wrapped themselves around my wrists and pulled them from my face, “Breath, just breath, Jo.”

I let her lead my hands into my lap, “What was that?”

Ainsley’s hands stayed on mine, “I thought you knew.”

“Knew what?”

She bit her lip and looked down, “So you don’t. I thought maybe your parents would have told you. Mine did.”

“Tell me what.”

“I’m a  _cora_.”

“Uh...what?”

Ainsley’s hands moved from my wrists to palms, “A  _cora_ _._ A  _changeling_ in English I guess.” 

The look on may face was enough for her to continue, “My mother was a member of the fae. Like a fairy.”

“A fairy?”

“Yes, and this,” she held up her left hand where her tattoo was, “Is the mark of the fae. All changelings have it but only after they’ve experienced magic of some kind.” 

I looked down at the one on my hand, “So, my mom was...was a fairy?”

Ainsley nodded, “Yeah. Most of them are women but men aren’t uncommon.”

“I need to sit down.”

“You are Jo.”

“Oh.”

My brain was much at this point. So many questions without answers swirled around and made my vision fuzzy. One question surfaced and made it to my mouth,

“Have you met anyone else like us?”

Ainsley shifted and adverted her gaze. She was doing that thing again, where she half bit her lip half pouted. It was cute.

“No... uh I... No, I haven’t.”

She pulled me up to a standing position, “Let’s go get our friends. Don’t want them to fall into the pond.” She chuckled a bit at her joke.

But I was already drowning.

++++

* * *

 

[My Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/saturnite0614/)

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is still a work in progress and I am working on character looks, lore, and general story so some things might be rushed or wonky but bear with me here. For those of you wanting more Voltron, I have no motivation to write fanfiction so just wait. I'm   
>  not giving up on it.
> 
> Anyway, I linked my insta at the end of the chapter so you can see the character designs and bios when I post them


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